Balancing work and family

In 2018, 1.9 million people, or 35.5% of the permanent resident population aged 18 to 64, regularly assumed at least one care-related task. At least three-quarters of them looked after children under the age of 15, just under a fifth children aged 15 and above or adults, with the remainder regularly undertaking both tasks. The vast majority of carers were active in the labour market (96% of men and 80% of women).

In general, most employees with care-related tasks are able to change the start and end of working hours at short notice for family reasons and/or take whole days off without having to use holiday leave. Flexible working hours were possible for 73% of men and 63.5% of women. Conversely, slightly more women (54.9%) than men (48.3%) were able to take additional days off.

Overall, caring for children under the age of 15 has a greater impact on women's employment than it does on that of men. In 2018, a reduction in their work-time percentage was the consequence most frequently cited by women (60.5%), while men were more likely to change their working hours (23%).

These findings are based on the module coordinated by Eurostat: "Balancing work and family in Switzerland in European comparison" from the Swiss Labour Force Survey in 2018.

International Data:
Datenbank - Eurostat (europa.eu)

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